Work Organization and Stress-Related Disorders
Activities: NIOSH Research Projects
Work Organization Risk Factors
Work Organization Influence of Fatigue in Truck Drivers
The purpose of this project is to examine the influence of
organizational and industry factors, such as scheduling practices,
economic pressure, competition and types of freight, on fatigue and safety
in commercial motor vehicle operators in order to develop targeted
interventions. A cross-sectional survey of currently employed commercial
truck drivers will be conducted to obtain both independent and dependent
variable data. Descriptive statistics and regression modeling will be used
to characterize the relationship among factors, and results will be
disseminated to the trucking industry and interested academic sectors. The
results will include recommendations that can be used by firms to improve
driver safety and health and decrease crash risk. Follow-on projects could
be developed to improve implementation of recommendations from this
project.
Project contact: Ted Hitchcock
Division of Applied Research
and Technology
(513) 533-8462
Project period: 2004–2008
Safety and Health Issues Affecting Older Workers
This project involves two principal components. First, a comprehensive
analysis of data in the Health and Retirement Survey (HRS) will be
undertaken, focusing on safety and health outcomes affecting older
workers. As part of this analysis, a collaboration with the Institute of
Social Research (ISR) at the University of Michigan, which conducts the
HRS, will be further developed. ISR staff will be consulted with regard to
resolving complex data analysis issues, obtaining protected data
containing detailed occupational codes, and creating a psychosocial module
that will be piloted in a future version of the HRS. The second component
of this project involves the development of an occupational safety and
health survey that will be administered by Experience Works, a national
nonprofit organization that provides training and employment services for
older workers. The survey will focus on safety and health concerns of
older workers, training needs, and features of the workplace that promote
health and well-being. Together, both components of this project will
provide an in-depth understanding of the safety and health issues
affecting older workers that is currently not available.
Project contact: Jim Grosch
Division of Applied Research
and Technology
(513) 533-8462
Project period: 2003–2007
Changing Nature of Work
The purposes of the project are to characterize the nature and extent
of changes in work organization in the United States and their safety and
health consequences, establish baseline data for tracking trends in work
organization factors, and identify targets for intervention to improve
worker safety and health. Outcomes from this project will include national
estimates of the nature and scope of changes in the modern workplace and
how these changes influence worker safety and health. These data will
represent the best estimates of how work is changing and the effects of
such changes on worker safety and health since 1977. It will also serve as
a benchmark for researchers over the next decade.
Project contact: Larry Murphy
Division of Applied Research
and Technology
(513) 533-8462
Project period: 1999–2009
National Agricultural Workers Survey (NAWS) Health Surveillance
This project involves an ongoing program of occupational health
surveillance for migrant farmworkers in the United States, a vulnerable,
poverty-stricken, minority group working in a high risk industry.
Occupational health questions were added to the NAWS conducted by the
Department of Labor in 1998–1999. A reduced set of questions has been
asked in subsequent years but has included information about
musculoskeletal disorders, chronic conditions, pesticide use, and access
to care. Analysis and dissemination of collected data are underway, while
questions concerning psychosocial factors, work organization, work stress,
work structure, job insecurity, and mental health underwent translation
and cognitive testing in 2005. Piloting is being conducted in 2006–2007,
and final data collected and submitted to NIOSH for analysis and
dissemination in 2007–2008.
Project contact: Toni Alterman
Division of Surveillance,
Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies
(513) 841-4428
Project
period: 1999–2008
Minority Health and Work Organization: Research to Practice
Although the psychosocial work environment is known to affect physical
and mental health, little is known about how this relationship contributes
to racial/ethnic health disparities. This project will develop, evaluate,
and use methods in order to detect workplace risk factors to minority
health and to gauge the effectiveness of workplace occupational safety and
health programs and services in addressing minority health needs. Data
collected will be used to generate information about the workplace risk
factors to minority health and to generate guidelines for increasing the
responsiveness of occupational safety and health services to the needs of
minority workers. Relevant information will be disseminated to (1) local
and national community-based organizations serving people of color and (2)
work organizations that are racially and ethnically diverse. The impact of
the information campaign will be evaluated.
Project contact: Rashaun Roberts
Division of Applied
Research and Technology
(513) 533-8462
Project
period: 2004–2010
Physiological Indicators
Buffalo Police Officer Study
The main objectives of this research are to examine the salivary
cortisol response as a physiological marker of stress and to determine
whether this measure of stress is associated with adverse metabolic and
cardiovascular consequences. A population-based cohort of police officers
will be examined, given the high-stress level that is characteristic of
their occupation. In addition to identifying the optimal characteristics
of the cortisol response that should be used as a marker of stress, this
research will assess whether stress is associated with adverse metabolic
and cardiovascular outcomes that precede clinically recognized diseases
(e.g., diabetes and myocardial infarction). The information gained from
this research may increase understanding of how stress in the workplace
might lead to adverse health outcomes.
Project contact: Cecil Burchfield
Health Effects Laboratory
Division
(304) 285-6121
Project period: 2004–2006
Analysis of Cardiovascular Effects of Stress in Police
The objectives of this research are to optimize the analyses of
cortisol in saliva as a physiologic stress indicator and to determine
whether this indicator is associated with adverse metabolic and
cardiovascular consequences (e.g., diabetes and myocardial infarction). A
cohort of police officers who experience high-stress levels as a
characteristic of their occupation are participating in the study. Results
from this study may be generalized to other workplaces and lead to
improved intervention efforts.
Project contact: Michael Andrew
Health Effects Laboratory
Division
(304) 285-6121
Project period: 2004–2008
Investigation of Chronic Stress as a Susceptibility Factor
Lab-based and epidemiological research will establish the relationship
between chronic stress, molecular/cellular markers of stress, and
increased susceptibility to neurotoxic chemicals. Using conventional and
transgenic models to determine the molecular and biochemical changes
induced by chronic stress will identify biomarkers of stress and determine
the role of gender and genetics in stress responses. Human worker
populations will be used to establish the utility of salivary cortisol,
alpha-amylase, and currently unidentified biomarkers of chronic stress.
The development of chronic stress biomarkers will serve to identify
workers at risk for the health problems associated with stress and to
demonstrate the effectiveness of prevention and intervention. Biomarkers
will help to determine the impact of stress on workplace problems, in
which the nervous system is implicated in either etiology or
susceptibility.
Project contact: Diane Miller
Health Effects Laboratory
Division
(304) 285-6121
Project period: 2004–2007
Workplace Stress among Underground Coal Miners
This study will describe workplace stressors among underground coal
miners, and examine the relationship between workplace stress and
abnormalities of the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis.
Abnormalities of the HPA axis are thought to be a factor in the
development of cardiovascular disease and other chronic conditions. To
date, about 200 miners have been tested.
Project Contact: Deborah Landen
Pittsburgh Research
Laboratory
(412) 386-6601
Project Period: 1999–2006
Stress-Related Disorders
Work Organization Predictors of Depression in Women
The goals of this study are to examine the relationship between
nontraditional job stressors (e.g., work-family conflicts, harassment,
discrimination), traditional job stressors (e.g., demands, control), and
levels of depression in working women. Additionally, the moderating
effects of specific workplace policies, practices, and procedures, which
may attenuate the effects of work organization stressors on depression,
will also be investigated. It is anticipated that findings from this study
will enhance our knowledge of workplace antecedents of depression among
working women and provide a better understanding of which, if any,
workplace policies, programs, and procedures might reduce depression
prevalence among working women.
Project contact: Naomi Swanson
Division of Applied Research
and Technology
(513) 533-8462
Project period:
2001–2008
Work Organization, Cardiovascular Disease and Depression
The purpose of this study is to identify causal relationships between
job stressors, cardiovascular disease, and depression among 10,000 male
and 10,000 female workers. Depression and cardiovascular disease (clinical
hypertension, angina, myocardial infarction, and sudden cardiac death)
will be ascertained from medical records. Blood samples will be collected
at enrollment and end of followup and analyzed for cholesterol and
high-density lipoproteins. Job stressors, as well as family-related
demands and discrimination, will be assessed annually using both
subjective and objective methods. Study questionnaires have been developed
and data collection efforts are ongoing while additional sites and
employers are being identified. Study results should lead to effective
interventions to reduce the occurrence of cardiovascular disease and
depression (and their costs).
Project contact: Carlos Aristeguieta
Division for
Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations and Field Studies
(513) 841-4428
Project period: 2001–2008
Fatigue in Buffalo Police Officers Study
NIOSH has entered into an Interagency Agreement with the U.S.
Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice to extend the current
Buffalo Cardio-Metabolic Occupational Police Stress (BCOPS) study by
measuring police officer fatigue and the impact of fatigue on police
officer health, performance, and safety. Specifically, this study will
collect sleep quality data and police department information and records
to (1) evaluate the effects of shift work and extended work hours on
police officer stress and fatigue and (2) examine the effects of stress
and fatigue on subclinical cardiovascular disease and metabolic disease
risk, psychological abnormalities, and police operational consequences.
The results may increase the understanding of how these occupational risk
factors may increase stress and associated adverse health consequences.
Project contact: Cecil Burchfield
Health Effects Laboratory
Division
(304) 285-6121
Project period: 2003–2008
Prevention/Intervention
Work Schedule Designs to Reduce Job Strain
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of changing
work schedules to reduce safety and health risks associated with job
stress, high workloads, or excessive fatigue. The present project is
evaluating pre- and post-work schedule designs to determine which designs
are most successful in reducing risks of injuries and illnesses. Targeted
outcomes being analyzed include safety and health indices (e.g., work
absences, visits to health clinics, injury and incident rates, and changes
in somatic complaints) and behavioral/psychological indices (e.g., changes
in perceived stress, fatigue, recovery, and satisfaction with domestic and
other social relations).
Project contact: Claire Caruso
Division of Applied Research
and Technology
(513) 533-8462
Project period: 1997–2006
Work Organization and Workplace Violence
The purpose of this project is to provide data on workplace violence
prevention programs and policies in various industries through a
nationwide organizations survey. An expert panel at NIOSH developed a
workplace violence module that was added to the National Organizations
Survey (NOS) through an existing Interagency Agreement with the NSF. NIOSH
is also collaborating on pilot work to develop a workplace violence
intervention and evaluation process that can then be used by other
organizations as an aid in developing their own workplace violence
prevention strategies.
Project contact: Paula Grubb
Division of Applied Research
and Technology
(513) 533-8462
Project period: 2002–2007
Faith-Based Intervention
The goal of the project is to design and test a culturally innovative
stress prevention and management intervention for working African
Americans in partnership with a local faith-based organization (FBO) and
to test the intervention with members of the target audience to evaluate
the extent to which it improved occupational safety and health knowledge,
impacted behavioral intentions, and improved efficacy in managing
work-related stress. This project will strengthen the capacity of a local
FBO to improve the occupational safety and health of its surrounding
community, and it will serve as a model for working collaboratively with
FBOs and other community-based organizations to design and implement
occupational safety and health interventions. Further, it will help
identify potential ways of effectively communicating safety and health
information to segments of the African-American population.
Project contact: Rashaun Roberts
Division of Applied
Research and Technology
(513) 533-8462
Project period:
2005–2007
